"As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves
with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave
or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in
Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's
offspring, heirs according to the promise." Galatians 3:27-29 (NRSV)

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Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Held in the Balance - the Revd Gwen Fry on General Convention

by the Reverend Gwen Fry

Every time I look at
the photo with me in the background on the TransEpiscopaal Facebook page and
blog I remember how important it was for me to be there at GC 2012. You see, at
that time I wasn’t what you would call an active member of TransEpiscopal, working
on important legislation or volunteering at the TransEpiscopal booth in the
exhibition hall. No, I was more of a lurker on the list serve and had been for
a number of years. I was there to track legislation, however, and I was there
to attend a very special Eucharist. And as it turned out, I was there to attend
the triennial family reunion of the church. I attended General Convention 2012
in Indianapolis for very personal reasons.

Having no
responsibilities at the convention as a visitor I was free to go from house to
house observing our church at work. The first day I was there I immediately
took note of the gender neutral bathroom facility strategically placed between
the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops. I know, you’re thinking
bathrooms? But for me that was an incredible statement my church made. The
church that I grew up in, in a very tangible way, supported me and all gender
non-conforming children of God.

Sitting in the
galleries of both houses listening to the discussion on resolutions D019 and
D002 filled me with hope for my church. The bishops and deputies who stood up
in support of these resolutions was a powerful witness to the broad, inclusive church
I was proud to be a member of. Even those who stood in opposition of these
resolutions filled me with hope because we are not a monolithic tradition here
in The Episcopal Church. It reminded me that the tent is indeed big and it
reminded me that even with these nondiscrimination clauses added to the canons,
we have much work left to do to gain true acceptance throughout the church. As
the votes were cast and tallied in both the House of Bishops and House of
Deputies there was a deep sense of gratitude, joy, and acceptance that washed
over me. It was quite surreal actually. With this monumental decision (at least
in my eyes) the Episcopal Church gave me the “cover” I thought was necessary
for me to come out and live authentically after 21 years as a priest in the
church.

The evening before I
left the convention and headed for home, I attended the TransEpiscopal
Eucharist. It was a perfect way to rejoice with others the incredible gains
achieved at GC2012. It was also the first time I was in a room, worshipping
with others, who knew me. Fully knew me. At that Eucharist I began a journey that
brought me out of the shadows of lurking on a list serve.
I was no longer on the sidelines of my community and stepped onto the playing
field, simply by being known.

And so every time I
see that banner across the top of TransEpiscopal’s blog or Facebook page with
me standing in the background I am reminded of how far we have come as a church
and how much I have grown. It hasn’t all been pretty or easy the past three
years. There have been many losses and disappointments. There has also been
resurrection and new life, in the church and personally.

Legislation is never antiseptic
and removed from the lives of people. It is deeply personal and affects the
lives of many whether we can see them or know them, understand them or even
agree with them. Individuals like me are always held in the balance of the decisions
we make as a church. Even as individuals like me are held in the balance by GC
decisions, at the same time GC decisions do not necessarily prevent individuals
from encountering difficulty. That experience certainly held true for me. It
was most difficult to seek the dissolution of the pastoral relationship with a
parish and people I deeply love and who loved me. We need to live into GC
decisions, to engage and embrace them in our congregations and dioceses. What
we do at GC truly does matter because of the connections between the layers of
our church.

I look forward to
joining my colleagues and friends of TransEpiscopal in Salt Lake City to
continue our work in the church. I am attending this General Convention because
it is personal. Because there will be others attending this year who are just
like I was three years ago, desperately looking for a place to call home, feel
the support of their church, and experience the transforming power of the love
of God.

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